


Christmas Ghost

by Kairin16



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Family, Holidays, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-10
Updated: 2012-12-10
Packaged: 2017-11-20 18:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/588432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairin16/pseuds/Kairin16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles just wants the kids to like him. During Christmas Holidays he hatches a plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas Ghost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pearl_o](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pearl_o/gifts).



Having children was hard. Charles thought he knew what that felt like after basically adopting a whole bunch of teenagers, but little children were different. Not bad different, just a little bit more difficult. He had heard horror stories about raising adolescents, parents fondly remembering the times when their children were younger and more innocent. He wasn’t sure they had their memories straight. The most important difference between teenagers and little kids was that the little ones couldn’t be reasoned with.

Yes, okay, Charles was willing to admit that none of the older kids were easy to talk to when they went into a huff, but when you presented them with logic they were more likely to think about it, even if they didn’t want to admit that you were right. Kids? Not so much. They had their own brand of reasoning and their own beliefs . They couldn’t understand that if something was different then they wanted it to be, it didn’t necessarily meant it was wrong or had to be changed just to fit their expectations. And it was really hard to live up to all these expectations.

The first instance of this happening was when Wanda and Pietro first arrived at the mansion. Charles was excited for weeks, possibly more than Erik, so delighted that they had found the man’s family, even if it was one he didn’t even know he had before. It prompted a lot of fond amusement from the older man, but Charles was ready to turn a blind eye on this, he was so thrilled to meet both of the kids. They were more thrilled to see the big mansion they all lived in, but it couldn’t really dampen Charles’ mood. They would warm up to their new family soon enough.

Only it became apparent something was wrong when both of the children refused to come down for dinner two evenings in a row. Erik patiently took plates to them so they wouldn’t go to bed without food. It wasn’t fixing the problem though. Apparently since the mansion was so old, they thought it would be haunted by ghosts. After all, if mutants exist, why not other fantastic beings? The logic was kind of sound even if a little funny, and it wouldn’t bother anyone if it wasn’t for the fact that the kids were so disappointed in the lack of any phantoms, that they refused to leave their room until they’d seen one.

Bizarre didn’t even start to cover how that made Charles feel. He thought they would be shy and unsure in a new habitat, around new people. That maybe they would be similar to their father in that they would be smart and level headed. He forgot to take into the account that they were six year old children used to moving from place to place. He and Hank had found them living in a gypsy camp after all.

It didn’t get any easier from that point. Charles kept forgetting that he was talking to people who hadn’t even started school yet. Wanda and Pietro didn’t even try to hide their displeasure at Charles monopolizing their father’s time. When they finally got over their mistrust and really believed that Erik was their father, they became a little clingy. Charles couldn’t fault them at all, he was pretty sure it would be his reaction too after finding a missing parent, but the fact that it kept him from having any quality time with his partner grated a little.

Erik kept laughing at him, repeating that they would all get used to each other.

~*~

It didn’t become easier by any standard. Erik was right in  that they  became more used to each other’s presence. Charles started to understand Wanda and Pietro more, keeping their needs in mind wherever he was doing grocery or planning the summer holidays for everyone in the mansion. For their part, the children cut him some slack, not being hostile anymore if they weren’t quite friendly either. It was hard to earn their affection and he was a little guiltily gratified to realize that Erik was really the only one who they seemed to like and trust in the house.

Charles would be lying if he said that it didn’t sadden him to see them walking around the hallways, keeping away from the other occupants of the mansion, their little faces clearly showing their unhappiness. The only time Charles caught them looking somewhat happy was when they were sitting with Erik in the library, Wanda perched on one of the man’s knees, and Pietro snuggled into his side. Erik read to them from the fat tome, his voice soft and melodic, carrying the notes of the language Charles would never understand. It was only then that he saw smiles on their little faces and he couldn’t hold back his own answering expression, not one time when he stumbled upon them.

One evening, when they were getting ready for sleep and Erik lay under the sheets, squinting at the pages of his book in the dim light, Charles asked him what the stories were about. Erik put his book down with a sigh, relieved for the excuse to rest his eyes, even if he would never admit it. His eyesight was getting worse recently, but Charles knew the man enough to realize that he would rather turn blind first than to admit to needing glasses.

“Ghosts.” Erik said with a quirk to his mouth and laughed softly at the flabbergasted expression on Charles’ face. He explained that the whole tome was full of stories about myths and fantastical beings, drenched in the culture from which Erik and children both came from. It was something absolutely lovely and heart-wrenching, the children and Erik bonding over something they all missed. Charles snuggled close to Erik’s side, the weight of the man’s arm over his shoulders more comforting than anything. He thought suddenly with sudden clarity that he wanted to be a part of this, part of their little family.

He started hatching a plan.

~*~

Talking Raven into helping him was harder than it used to be, but she was willing enough to follow his instructions if it meant making children happy. Charles ached for a time when he didn’t have to spell out his reasoning about anything to her, she would trust him enough to follow his plans without question. That time was gone for now, but he hoped that with time they would restore their bond, maybe not to the way it was, but similar enough.

He had to push his plan a little, Christmas was coming, but he had it always in the forefront of his mind. So even when rushing through the tree delivery and pulling out all the ornaments they had in the attic, there was always this niggling thought with him, perfecting what he had and reflecting over it, looking for flaws and eradicating them. Before they put up the tree in the main living room, he was confident that he was going to blow the children’s minds.

And so the plan was put into action. He convinced both Wanda and Pietro to attend Christmas story time under the tree, and although Erik had to help him with this step a little bit, it was overall a success. They were all sitting in a circle, Wanda cautiously leaning into Charles’ side and he didn’t remember the last time he was that happy. Must have been long before Cuba.

The story was a simple one:

_“There was once a friendly ghost who roamed the realm of living in search of companionship. Lots of ghost weren’t friendly at all and preferred scaring people around them so the friendly ghost felt alone and isolated from his peers. But there was one night that he looked forward to for the whole year._

_It was the night of Christmas Eve when all the children in the world were rewarded for their faith in the fantastical with the ability to see the mythical creatures. Just for that one night. And so the friendly ghost waited for the whole year, just so someone could talk to him and hopefully wouldn’t run screaming._

_It just so happened that in the neighborhood he was haunting, lived a little girl that was very shy. She was so shy that she wouldn’t leave her room to go outside so she was very lonely, watching other kids play from her window. The night of Christmas Eve she was laying in bed reading when something tinkled outside her window, like the sound of a little bell hitting the glass._

_She looked up and there was the friendly ghost, floating outside and knocking softly on the window with a smile. She glanced around, looking for someone who he might want to visit, but no, there was only her in the room. She smiled back at the friendly ghost and jumped off the bed to open her window._

_The friendly ghost didn’t really need her to do that, but it was nice to be invited in for a change. He sat upon the girl’s bed and read the title of her book. “Oh, I love this book!” He exclaimed happily and smiled at the girl who was still standing shyly by the window._

_She smiled back seeing his genuine enthusiasm and jumped back into the bed, talking quietly about her favourite scenes in the story. And they talked like that for an entire night, until dawn peeked its face into the girl’s room. And then the friendly ghost disappeared._

_Well, we know that he didn’t disappear for real. The little girl just stopped seeing him, because the night ended. She was sad, and so was he, but there was nothing they could do about it. The girl talked for a while more, but without hearing any answer settled on her pillows and went to sleep._

_The next day the fresh snow had fallen and there were children’s voices once again outside the girl’s window. She realized that she liked talking to other people and decided she didn’t want to be so shy anymore. It was okay to be shy a little, but she wanted to play with other kids too. So she went out of her room and then out of her house and joined the games._

_The friendly ghost looked upon it all with a smile, happy for his new friend. She wouldn’t be able to see him until next year, but that was okay. The friendly ghost could wait. After all, we don’t abandon our friends, even if they can’t see us.”_

The story wasn’t something Charles himself would choose, but he supposed that’s what he got for letting Raven chose what to read when she was not fully aboard with his plan. His requirement that the story had to involve a ghost was perhaps a little too broad. The children seemed to vary between liking the story and looking at Raven in horror, bottom lips wibbling about the ghost that remained as lonely as he was at the start of the story.

Charles sighed and scooped Wanda up in his arms, standing up. For once she didn’t protest, instead curling her little arms around his neck and hiding her face in her shoulder. He smiled apologetically at Erik who was carrying Pietro in an eerily similar position and they both started upstairs. Both children were more subdued than normal, but then again he hoped that they would cheer up at least a little before tomorrow.

Erik already told him that everything he was planning was kind of moot since none of them really believed in Christmas. They liked the lights and the tree, but the three of them lit a candle for Chanukah every night instead. Charles did understand that, but it wasn’t about Christmas. It was about fun and making both children feel a little more welcome in their new home, especially since it was a huge empty mansion that gave even Charles nightmares occasionally. He couldn’t imagine how much worse it was for small children who just arrived.

So after putting Wanda and Pietro to bed and making sure they were asleep, he employed Erik into helping him. The man wasn’t opposed to the plan per se, but it was clear that he thought it was a waste of time, amusing and sweet, but still a waste of time. Charles didn’t blame him, because he still wasn’t sure himself if it would work, but he would appreciate a little bit of moral support if nothing else.

He strapped on a metal harness and pulled a sheet over his head, twin holes allowing him to see where he was going. Erik was already snickering behind him and if he didn’t see in the mirror in front of him how silly he looked, he might even have been offended. As it was he just heaved a sigh and turned to his partner, nodding that he was ready. Erik lifted his hands and Charles felt his feet leave the ground, breath escaping him in a rush. Floating like this, Erik’s powers the only thing to keep him afloat was at the same time the most exhilarating and most terrifying thing he had done to date. He guessed Erik would argue that his first use of Cerebro was more terrifying, but really, that was nothing compared to floating in the air while at the mercy of someone else.

The window to the kid’s room was already open a crack and he would feel guilty about letting the winter air in if it was any other night. He put the fingers to his head and made sure the illusion was in place before he started making typical ghost noises, trying not to feel too embarrassed about it. The children stirred and he kept his fingers planted to his temple, making sure they would see a transparent floating sheet, instead of his legs covered in a completely ordinary sheet flying in the air.

Wanda was the first to wake up and she let out a soft scream, slapping her hands over her mouth in surprise, which was a quick way to make Pietro jump out of his bed, fists at the ready. Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea after all. But they didn’t do anything more, staring at the “ghost” in astonishment and if Charles was any good telepath (he was) they were more awed than scared now.

Erik however, had no way of knowing that. Before Charles could send him an alarmed thought and reassure him that everything was fine, the grip the other man had on his harness disappeared and the scholar ended up with his ass on the floor, getting tangled in the sheet. Erik ran into the room soon after and Charles could feel a wave of embarrassment and slight guilt emanating from him at the sight that greeted him. Charles wanted to feel bad, but he couldn’t exactly blame Erik for being protective of his children.

The sound of a laugh startled him slightly. Erik helped him pull the sheet over his head and free his arms. Wanda was literally rolling on her bed in a fit of giggles, Pietro leaning over his own, hiding his face in the pillow, his shoulders shaking. They didn’t appear to be mad that they were almost fooled into thinking ghosts truly did live in the mansion. Instead there was nothing but joy and amusement coming from them. It took them a minute to calm down, but they attacked Erik with cuddles quickly after, clearly grateful for this bizarre idea of a gift.

Charles sat nearby, smiling happily at the picture they presented, folding the sheet absently into a square. That is, until Wanda peeked over her daddy’s shoulder and reached her hand to him at which Erik beamed happily at him and pulled him into that cuddle fest, children curled happily between the two of them. Maybe they were going to be alright after all. Building a family was never easy, but Charles was young and determined and he would do anything to keep his family. 

**Author's Note:**

> The author would like to apologize if it doesn't meet the prompt as closely as it should. It was hard writing for me in the recent times and I hope pearl_o still liked it enough. I wanted to finish it just so you'd have something nice for yourself this holidays, my dear.


End file.
